I can’t believe no one has posted about this book, especially since it has such a juicy controversy attached to it. I’m rather psyched to share this book!
I found out about Sanora Babb when I heard about the controversy between her and John Steinbeck. I don’t want to get into that here, so if you’re interested you can Google it. I’d rather focus on this amazing story and an author I believe should be more widely known.
Those Whose Names are Unknown was written in the 1930s and takes place in both the Oklahoma Panhandle right after the Great Depression and during the American Dust Bowl, and in California — I guess you can intuit the Steinbeck connection. Though it was written and set to be published in 1939, because of the success of Grapes of Wrath, Random House decided to shelve Babb’s book. It didn’t see the light of day till 2004 when Oklahoma University Press published it.
Those Whose Names are Unknown is broken up in two parts. Part one takes place in the Oklahoma Panhandle and recounts the lives of a small community of Crop Farmers as they deal with the aftermath of the Great Depression and what has been called the greatest ecological disaster in American history: The American Dust Bowl. In part two, we follow some of these characters to California as they pack up to look for work in farms throughout the large farming valleys.
Babb’s narration style and prose are beautifully direct, putting the reader in the front seat of a story that shows the inherent issues with capitalism, societal prejudice, and class divide; while still highlighting simple human kindness and the will to keep going when faced with blow after blow. I had a hard time reading this book at times, I had to put it down from time to time when it became too much. I really wish I had the words to do this book justice. My experience reading this book was one that I’ve never experienced from reading. The connection I had with this book I accredit to Babb’s ability to present her characters in a way that I could slip into their shoes and fully empathize. Like many timeless classics, the issues presented here are still extremely resonant today: the greed of corporations putting profit above human need; the tyranny of merit justifying the social economical divide; prejudice and fear enabling the othering of humans in need. There is a very strong socialist/anti-capitalist thread running throughout this book.
I’ll end here, and I just hope I’ve piqued the interest of new readers, because I do believe this book is an important read. I do believe many will connect with this book on many levels.
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